TROPHY TO SAVOR

108TH U.S. OPEN Mediate pushes Woods to sudden-death playoff

Tiger Woods offered a string of stunning shots and enduring images the previous four days at Torrey Pines. He pumped his fists when he made a preposterously long eagle putt, laughed sheepishly when a chip shot rattled into the hole and unleashed a primal scream for the ages when his 72nd-hole birdie putt theatrically disappeared, keeping his U.S. Open title hopes alive.

Then, after outlasting Rocco Mediate on Monday in a compelling 19-hole playoff, Woods presented one final, familiar image. He smiled widely and hoisted another sparkling trophy, inching even closer to Jack Nicklaus' hallowed record of 18 major championship victories.

Woods won No. 14 on an electric journey around Torrey's South Course, with 24,000 energetic spectators loudly exhorting both players. Woods again made birdie on No. 18 to stay alive - he and Mediate each shot even-par 71 - and ultimately prevailed when Mediate missed his long par putt on the next hole.

Woods wrapped caddie Steve Williams in a hug, knowing this latest major triumph was different than the previous 13. He hadn't played in a PGA Tour event since the Masters in April, sidelined by arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He didn't even walk 18 holes during those two months, and it seemed unlikely his game would be sharp after such a long layoff.

Given all this - the knee, the layoff, the uncertainty - Woods elevated Monday's victory ahead of all his other majors, surpassing even the 1997 Masters and the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Tiger Woods (R) of the U.S. holds the trophy as he talks with Rocco Mediate after winning the U.S. Open golf championship in a playoff at Torrey Pines in San Diego June 16, 2008. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES)
Ran on: 06-17-2008
Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate have a light moment after their 19-hole playoff, though Woods enjoyed it more thanks to the U.S. Open trophy he was holding.
Ran on: 06-17-2008
Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate have a light moment after their 19-hole playoff, though Woods enjoyed it more thanks to the U.S. Open trophy he was holding.
Ran on: 06-17-2008
Ran on: 02-01-2009
Tiger Woods may be holding the U.S. Open trophy, but a delighted Rocco Mediate caused golf fans to swoon over him after his outstanding effort in losing a playoff at Torrey Pines in 2008.
Ran on: 02-01-2009
Ran on: 02-01-2009 less

Tiger Woods (R) of the U.S. holds the trophy as he talks with Rocco Mediate after winning the U.S. Open golf championship in a playoff at Torrey Pines in San Diego June 16, 2008. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED ... more

Photo: Mike Blake, Reuters

Photo: Mike Blake, Reuters

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Tiger Woods (R) of the U.S. holds the trophy as he talks with Rocco Mediate after winning the U.S. Open golf championship in a playoff at Torrey Pines in San Diego June 16, 2008. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED STATES)
Ran on: 06-17-2008
Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate have a light moment after their 19-hole playoff, though Woods enjoyed it more thanks to the U.S. Open trophy he was holding.
Ran on: 06-17-2008
Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate have a light moment after their 19-hole playoff, though Woods enjoyed it more thanks to the U.S. Open trophy he was holding.
Ran on: 06-17-2008
Ran on: 02-01-2009
Tiger Woods may be holding the U.S. Open trophy, but a delighted Rocco Mediate caused golf fans to swoon over him after his outstanding effort in losing a playoff at Torrey Pines in 2008.
Ran on: 02-01-2009
Ran on: 02-01-2009 less

Tiger Woods (R) of the U.S. holds the trophy as he talks with Rocco Mediate after winning the U.S. Open golf championship in a playoff at Torrey Pines in San Diego June 16, 2008. REUTERS/Mike Blake (UNITED ... more

Photo: Mike Blake, Reuters

TROPHY TO SAVOR

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"This is probably my best ever, all things considered," Woods said, the large silver trophy sitting on a table in front of him. "I don't know how I ended up in this position, to be honest with you. ... This week had a lot of doubt to it. I hadn't even walked 18 holes since Augusta, but you just keep going."

The triumph at Torrey might prevent Woods from seeking another British Open title next month at Royal Birkdale in England. He demurred when asked if the knee could keep him out of the British, as he did when asked if he expected to play in his own tournament, the AT&T National outside Washington, D.C. (July 3-6).

And here's a quick lesson in Tiger-speak: When Woods says he's not sure if he'll play in a tournament, it usually means he will not play in that tournament.

"I need to shut it down and take a little break," he said. "I pushed it pretty hard this week."

The knee did not seem to bother Woods as much Monday as it had the previous two days. He grimaced a few times, but mostly he and Mediate scratched and clawed and produced a memorable playoff, even if the golf was not always the most artistic ever played.

It was a study in contrasts, apart from the similar red-and-black attire. Woods, 32, is the No. 1-ranked player in the world and one of the longest drivers on tour. Mediate, 45, is ranked No. 158 and often found himself 50-plus yards behind Woods, trying to keep pace.

"I've got him by 13 years," Mediate said later, "and he's got me by 1,000 yards off the tee."

The crowd included many people enchanted by Mediate's good-natured demeanor and Everyman quality. As he and Woods marched down the No. 4 fairway, framed by a picturesque view of the Pacific Ocean on a gorgeous San Diego morning, one fan shouted, "Rocco, win one for the old guys!"

Mediate was trying to become the oldest champion in U.S. Open history.

He nearly did, too. Mediate made bogeys on Nos. 9 and 10 to reach 3-over for the day, three shots behind Woods, and it was easy to envision a rout. But then Woods made his own bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12, slicing Mediate's deficit to one shot. Mediate pulled even with a birdie on No. 14, where USGA officials again turned a once-fearsome par-4 into a tempting 269-yard scoring opportunity.

The momentum truly turned on No. 15, where Woods' drive sailed so far right, it landed in a bunker on the adjacent No. 9 fairway. He hit a remarkable recovery shot about 15 feet from the hole ("probably the best shot I hit all week," Woods said), but Mediate responded by sinking a slick, 35-footer for birdie, sending the crowd into delirium. Woods missed his birdie putt, so Mediate had the lead again.

"I really thought I was going to win after that putt on 15," he said.

He held the lead until No. 18, the par-5 where USGA officials again invited the players to go for the green in two shots by moving the tees up to 525 yards. Woods smoked his drive, long and pure, an absolutely clutch shot when he desperately needed it. He reached the green in two, while Mediate's drive hooked into the bunker and forced him to lay up short of the pond.

Woods missed his 65-foot eagle putt, giving Mediate a putt to win the Open right there, from about 22 feet away. But the ball scooted past the hole, Woods made his 4-foot birdie putt and Mediate sank his own 4-footer for par, turning their duel into a sudden-death playoff.

It lasted only one hole, No. 7, a twisting par-4 on which Woods made a routine par and Mediate hooked his drive into the left bunker (for the third time in the tournament). He had a terrible lie, hit his second shot against the grandstand and eventually confronted an 18-footer to stay in the tournament.

The putt veered left - Mediate's putting was hot-and-cold throughout Monday's round - to end the suspense. Mediate was clearly disappointed, but he also found solace in taking Woods to 19 holes.

Woods won his third U.S. Open, overcoming knee pain and a persistent challenger to win at the public track on which he has won seven tournaments as a professional. It's also where Woods played his first round on a "real course," at age 10, with his dad Earl.

Even then, he was imagining Nicklaus on the horizon. Now Woods needs only four more majors and he's there, side-by-side with Jack at 18.

Did Woods risk more damage to his knee by playing? C2

Comeback kid

Before he pulled off a late comeback in the playoff, Tiger Woods spent most of the first four rounds coming from behind.

Holes*

Woods

Mediate

1

+2

E

14

+1

-3

18

+1

-2

21

+3

-3

27

+3

-4

36

-2

-2

41

+1

-3

48

+1

-4

54

-3

-1

63

-1

E

69

E

-1

72

-1

-1

*Number of holes played.

2

Times Tiger Woods has won a PGA Tour event and a U.S. Open on the same course - Pebble Beach (2000) and Torrey Pines.

3

U.S. Open victories for Woods, joining Jack Nicklaus as the only two golfers to win each Grand Slam event at least three times

8

Tiger victories at Torrey Pines - a junior world title, six Buick Invitationals and the U.S. Open. He is the first to win seven PGA Tour events on the same course.

14

Majors won by Woods, second only to Nicklaus' 18.

14-0

Woods' record when taking a lead into the final round of a major.

29

top 10 finishes in majors. Jack Nicklaus has a seemingly unreachable 73.

65

Career PGA Tour victories for Woods, passing Ben Hogan for third all-time. Only Sam Snead (82) and

Nicklaus (73) are in front of him.

By the numbers

4 - Tiger Woods had four three-putts and four double bogeys, and still won the U.S. Open.

9 - Number of times Rocco Mediate has made the cut in PGA Tour events this year

9 - Number of times Mediate has missed the cut (or withdrawn) this year

91 - It took the regulation 72 holes, an 18-hole playoff and one sudden death hole to decide the 2008 U.S. Open.

128 - Number of holes Mediate played in pursuit of this year's U.S. Open title (37 in his sectional qualifier and 91 in the tournament)

1994 - The last time a U.S. Open playoff went more than 18 holes. Ernie Els and Loren Roberts were tied after 18 (and Colin Montgomerie was eliminated); Els beat Roberts on the 20th hole